Holding Out for a Fairy Tale

by A. J. Thomas

  “What happened?” Ray rolled up from his knees in a fluid, rocking gesture. “Did the search teams find her?”

  “Not yet. SDPD searched Garcia’s place this morning. Apparently they didn’t find any traces of blood and nothing that might belong to Sophie.”

  “SDPD is working this?” Ray narrowed his eyes. He’d asked around last Friday, and everyone he’d spoken with told him the case had been handed off to the FBI.

  “They found Luca Garcia’s body in an alley in Hillcrest. Shot through the back of the head. There was no sign of her.”

  Ray forced himself to take a deep breath. News of Garcia’s death was a surprise, but it wasn’t something he was going to get upset about. He ran through a list of potential suspects associated with Sophie’s disappearance who might have killed him, realized he was third on the list himself, and smirked. He began to twist another set of wires together. “Give me a minute. I want to get this done and turn the breaker back on before I lose the sun.”

  “Delgado, I….”

  “I’m almost done. You can arrest me before or after I patch the drywall, but let me get your power back on first.”

  “Did you do it?” Elliot laughed.

  “You know I didn’t. But I’d be the most likely suspect, after Holland and Alejandro, wouldn’t I? I’ve been with you since Friday, but that’s not really something we can type up and submit.”

  “You’re on the top of the list, Delgado, with Alejandro Munoz and Professor Holland coming after.”

  “Am I?” Ray knew he shouldn’t think that was funny, but he couldn’t help it.

  “He had your Glock in his jacket.”

  Ray was very careful about not flinching. He finished connecting wires, then plugged the bundle of wires back into the alarm control box. “So he was the one who broke into my place?”

  “Probably.”

  “Huh.”

  “His estimated time of death was ten o’clock Saturday night. I’m not your only alibi. My boss, her husband, and the rest of my judo class all vouched for you. Besides, I told my boss I could account for the rest of your weekend too.”

  Ray swallowed hard, hoping Elliot had just told his boss they’d been together, rather than giving the frightening woman a play-by-play account of how they’d spent Sunday afternoon. He prided himself on being able to keep a straight face regardless of the circumstances, but that revelation was just too much. “Everything?”

  Elliot scoffed. “Give me a bit of credit. I didn’t tell her that I fingered you until you came in your shorts or that you sucked me off afterward.”

  Ray sucked in a desperate breath as Elliot reminded him just what they’d done.

  “I told her we were friends.”

  “Did she believe that?”

  “She thinks I’ve got a crush on you.” Elliot shifted, not meeting Ray’s gaze.

  Ray dusted off his hands, clipped the cover on the control box closed, and turned toward Elliot. “Do you?”

  “No. No sane gay man lets himself have a crush on a straight guy. It’s just inviting misery.”

  Ray bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. “I’m not straight,” he whispered.

  “So you’re gay?” There was venom laced in the question.

  “I….” Ray slapped his mouth shut. This could so easily end up exploding in the wrong direction, and Ray didn’t want to risk having Elliot walk out on him again. Especially not if he walked out before sex this time. “I am bi. I’ve been attracted to men and women. I am attracted to you.” And the idea of Elliot harboring a crush on him made him want to scoop the other man up and do something about that attraction, but Elliot was obviously on edge.

  “The rumor mill says you’re the definition of straight. I guess it’s a good thing. She let it go.”

  “What?”

  “Well, she didn’t let everything go. I’m done with the investigation. I’ve been assigned to your protection detail instead of getting a formal reprimand.”

  “I’m a punishment?” Ray laughed and grinned. “That’s awesome. Give me a minute to turn the breaker back on. I want to test these before I put your wall back together.”

  “Delgado, I need to move. Finding out Garcia was killed that night has me jumping at shadows. I think I’m going to go down to the club. Do you want to come with me?”

  Ray ran his fingertips around Elliot’s hips as he strolled toward the breaker box in the garage. “You sure you wouldn’t rather just throw me around here?”

  Elliot let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t think you’d enjoy it much, with the mood I’m in.”

  Ray looked Elliot up and down, finally taking in the balled-up fists, the tense shoulders, and shaking tendons in his neck.

  “I need to go,” said Elliot, not looking at him. “Unless you’re up for me bending you over the back of that couch and fucking you until you can’t move, I need to go.”

  Ray looked over his shoulder at the worn green couch. “Is that what you need?”

  Elliot’s fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. “I don’t want to hurt you. I’d rather go find someone to pick a fight with.”

  “Give me five minutes to get ready to go.”

  In two hours, every muscle and joint in Ray’s body hurt. He was thirsty, tired, hungry, and every time he looked at Elliot, his dick kept trying to get hard. The borrowed sports cup made even a partial erection uncomfortable, but Ray’s body seemed to care more about fucking Elliot than random, insignificant things like pain.

  To make things even worse, Special Agent Hathaway walked through the backdoor at five minutes past eight. Ray was ready and willing to crack a few jokes and avoid the fucker for the night, but the moment Hathaway’s eyes had settled on Ray from across the room, he charged forward, screaming.

  And in what seemed like half a second, Hathaway was on the ground whimpering.

  Elliot had moved so fast he was a blur, and when Ray’s brain finally caught up to reality, he saw that Elliot had thrown the heavier man to the mat and gotten him into a painful arm bar that held him completely immobilized.

  “Hi, Hathaway,” said Elliot.

  Elliot was covered in sweat from his match, but he wasn’t even out of breath. Hathaway, on the other hand, was gasping for air.

  “You remember Detective Delgado, don’t you?”

  A few of the dozen people watching them exchanged curious glances. The rest of the FBI agents training there, Ray realized.

  “Turns out he and I are old buddies. Small world, huh? Since he agreed to indulge us with this whole babysitting him thing, I figured I’d volunteer to hang out with him and save you the trouble. No one wants any trouble with a colleague, even if they’re with a different agency, right? Hey, you want to spar? I’ve got to cut out early, but I’ve got a few minutes now.”

  “You’re breaking my arm!” Hathaway cried out. On the mat, his face was turning red.

  “Am I?” Elliot cocked his head to the side and stared down at Hathaway’s arm and then at his own hands. “No, no I’m not. It would take at least five more degrees of rotation to break your arm. I could safely rotate it another two to three degrees without even straining the tendons. Cool, huh? So are we going to spar? If you’re not up for it, I think Delgado and I will get out of here.”

  The choked, high-pitched sound that came from the large blond man on the mat was almost a clear no.

  Elliot slowly untwisted Hathaway’s arm, then lifted the man by the shoulder. “Well, maybe next time.” He slapped the beet-red man on the back.

  Ray met his gaze, saw Elliot glance toward the door. Ray offered his sparring partner a sheepish grin. “Thanks for the match.”

  By the time Elliot got all of his stuff and they made it out the door, Hathaway was quietly fuming, but he didn’t come near them again. It was just as well, because Ray was already sore, and his muscles were so worn out, they were twitching.

  He had to start picking people up in libraries, or even at his regular gym, where 90 percent
of the people he might take home didn’t actually want to be working out until they felt like a life-sized Jell-O mold. Just like on Saturday night, Elliot seemed to thrive on the endless motion, the constant push and pull of bodies as he fought for dominance with a half-dozen different sparring partners.

  The worst part was, even when Elliot was locked motionless in that struggle, he was breathtaking. Ray might have been able to focus on learning the throws being used on him if he could just stop trying to imagine all the ways he could turn a sparring match with Elliot into sex. He’d never had a problem staying focused before. But the moment he saw Elliot’s eyes droop in utter concentration, his libido smacked his focus aside and demanded his full attention.

  “You look miserable.” Elliot laughed at him as they staggered out of the dojo. “You dehydrated?”

  “Probably.” Ray pressed his lips tight as he turned toward his car. He wasn’t sure why Elliot had insisted he drive, but he wasn’t about to complain about it. Driving home would give him a chance to work out a little frustration, at least. He stopped and grinned, remembering that he wasn’t going home. He was driving back to Elliot’s house. Back to an awkward conversation about the merits of sleeping on the couch, or possibly back to sex and a comfortable bed. If he pushed for that chance, if he followed Elliot into his bedroom, into the shower, or just kissed him, he didn’t know if Elliot would punch him or kiss him back.

  “What is it?” Elliot asked. “You know, you didn’t have to come along.”

  “It’s nothing,” Ray lied.

  “Nothing?”

  Elliot set his hand on Ray’s shoulder. Ray felt the heat of his touch send a spark up and down his body. The added stimulation woke up the dwindling erection he’d been trying to ignore for the last two hours. He was just grateful the damn sports cup had allowed him to maintain an illusion of decency, at least. Unfortunately, his cock kept trying to get hard, despite the pressure from the cup making a full erection impossible.

  Ray tried to shake Elliot’s grip, but the other man just spun him around.

  “You weren’t in a bad mood before. If it’s about that shit with Hathaway, I’m sorry. I know you’re probably the type who likes to deal with crap like that yourself. But this way, both of our agencies won’t end up at each other’s throats over another fight.”

  Ray pressed his lips tight together and sighed. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and tried to shift the damn sports cup without being obvious. “Watching you play with Hathaway didn’t help the situation.”

  “I said I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. It was the best way to handle the situation. It was perfect.” It was the sexiest thing Ray had ever seen.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Ray glanced around at the quiet sidewalk. The dingy yellow glow of streetlights and the occasional flash of headlights lit up the streets around them. Beyond the passing cars, they had the street to themselves.

  He swallowed hard. “Can I fuck you?” He forced his voice to stay casual and indifferent, as if the answer didn’t matter.

  “What?” Elliot stepped back and smirked. “Here?”

  “It’s a bit bright, but….” Ray shrugged and ran his hands through his hair. The drying salt from his own sweat made his hair feel gritty and reminded him just how badly they both needed a shower. “No. Not here. Maybe we could go back to your place, rinse off, and…. You know, fuck it, I don’t care where. I want you. I want you so bad, I’ve managed to get a hard-on in a sports cup for the first time ever. But I don’t know where we stand after Sunday. I don’t know if I can kiss you, if I can even touch you, or if you’re going to hurt me if I try.”

  “Hurt you?” Elliot softened his smirk a little.

  “Yeah, totally not my thing. I’ve got nothing against that scene, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t need the endorphins to enjoy sex.”

  Elliot buried his face in his hands, shaking. “My god, you’re something else. After a two-hour judo class, you want to fuck?”

  “Are you kidding? That….” Ray flung his hand back toward the judo club a block behind them. “That was worse than sitting through two hours of live porn. Do you have any idea how hot you look when you’re fighting?”

  “Worse than porn?”

  “Well, yeah. A hell of a lot worse. Do you watch porn in a jockstrap and cup?”

  Elliot’s entire body started to shake as he stifled a laugh. “You’re turned on? You’re insane. Isn’t that a bit tight?”

  “That would be the problem. I can’t help it. When it’s you, everything is hot. I don’t want to screw this up, so I figured I’d just come right out with it and ask.” Ray glanced around again, to make sure they still had the sidewalk to themselves. He traced his palms over Elliot’s jaw slowly, giving Elliot plenty of time to break his arm or throw him to the sidewalk if he was so inclined. When Elliot didn’t move, Ray kissed him. It wasn’t the hard, wet grind of teeth and tongues Ray desperately wanted. Just a soft touch, a tentative request for more. Elliot gasped against his lips, returning his soft kiss curiously. Despite the subtle touch, Ray’s pulse was hammering when he pulled away, licking the salty taste of Elliot’s lips off his own.

  He watched Elliot open his eyes, the pale green of Elliot’s irises were tinted with a golden sparkle from the streetlights. Ray stared at him, struck mute by the sight. Even standing on the sidewalk, Elliot took his breath away, and Ray couldn’t even begin to understand why.

  Elliot was so normal. His hair was a soft black that made his pale skin look like fresh cream, and when Ray saw him smile, he felt like smiling too. Elliot Belkamp wasn’t strikingly handsome, but there was something about his green-gold eyes that made Ray want to stare at him forever. “Why do I want you like this?” he asked. “Like I can’t breathe unless I can touch you.”

  “You’re so full of shit, Delgado.” Elliot smiled, but he didn’t pull away.

  “Can I?” Ray asked again, tilting his lips forward so he could feel Elliot’s breath mix with his own.

  Against his lips, Elliot nodded.

  Ray pushed up on the balls of his feet to close the distance between them, pouring every drop of his desire into a desperate kiss that drove Elliot back, leaving them both staggering. He wrapped his arms around Elliot’s neck and drove his tongue into his mouth. Ray couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t taste him enough, to satisfy the lust setting every nerve in his body on fire. After shifting closer, tasting the other man’s tongue and teeth and lips until he needed to surface for air, Ray was willing to rip Elliot’s clothes off right there on the street. “Car….” He kissed Elliot again and dragged the other man toward his Nissan.

  “My place. Shower.”

  He let go of Elliot long enough to sprint around to the driver’s seat, but he didn’t start the car. As soon as Elliot’s door was closed, Ray dove toward him, meeting his lips with a punishing, brutal kiss. He felt Elliot’s fingers squirm into the waistband of his workout pants, lift the jockstrap carefully, and slip the hated sports cup out. “Better?”

  Ray shook his head slowly. “Not even close.” Ray kissed him again, leaning over the gearshift so he could reach Elliot’s shoulders, pulling him closer.

  Elliot returned the kiss, leaning into him and pushing him back into the driver’s seat. Elliot was still moving his hands beneath Ray’s waistband, rolling his pants down until he could peel the jockstrap off, freeing Ray’s cock. Without the constraint of the jockstrap, his cock pulsed and hardened instantly. Elliot ran his fingers up and down Ray’s erection, teasing him rather than stroking, but Ray wasn’t about to complain. Elliot pulled his lips away from Ray’s with a wet pop, then bent down and took the tip of Ray’s cock into his mouth without warning.

  Ray hissed and tried to buck up into the wet heat. The angle of the seat didn’t give him room to move, but he tried anyway. He ran his hands through Elliot’s hair and over his tight shoulders, urging Elliot to take him deeper. Elliot sucked him in until Ray felt his tongue and throat al
ong his entire length. “Oh fuck, you can….” But the words evaporated somewhere between his brain and his lips as Elliot swallowed him. He leaned back and tried to keep still, letting Elliot stay in control. He watched Elliot’s closed eyelids as the other man bobbed up and then slid back down Ray’s length to bury his lips and nose in Ray’s pubic hair. Ray refused to close his eyes, refused to blink, just so he could burn that image into his memories.

  “El, I’m….”

  Elliot huffed and sucked him in deeper still, swallowing as Ray exploded down his throat. Ray curled over Elliot’s shoulders, riding out the aftershocks as Elliot sucked him clean.

  “Fuck….” he breathed again.

  “Let’s get back to my place for that.”

  Ray collapsed back against the seat, trying to catch his breath. “You expect me to drive after that?”

  “I seem to recall you being able to bounce back pretty fast.” Elliot squeezed his thigh. “Consider it a thank you for enduring two hours of judo porn.”

  “If that’s my incentive, I will be in class every single night.”

  After he caught his breath, Ray covered the mile and a half up to Elliot’s house dangerously fast.

  He pulled in the driveway, spared a quick glance at the empty street, and practically crawled into Elliot’s lap, claiming his lips, his entire mouth, in a demanding kiss. Elliot ran his hands over Ray’s thighs and hips, then reached around and cupped his ass.

  Elliot pulled away, grinning. “I forgot how eager you get. Let’s go inside.”

  They stumbled into the house, clinging to each other. Ray released Elliot long enough to type the new code into the alarm system, then rearmed it fast, before reaching for Elliot again.

  “Hey.” Elliot grabbed his wrists and held him still. “How did you set that up?”

  “I just programmed it.” Ray leaned forward and nipped at Elliot’s lips, determined to touch him even if Elliot wouldn’t let him use his hands.